Gov. Shapiro Announces $448 Million for Pennsylvania Internet Grants

Pennsylvania officials announced $448 million in grants awarded across 50 counties on Oct. 2 to expand high-speed internet access, delivering $29 million for projects in Centre and Mifflin counties. Gov. Josh Shapiro joined state and local officials at Bald Eagle Area Middle and High School to launch the first round of awards from the commonwealth’s $711 million in federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding approved earlier this year by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Federal BEAD Funding Reaches Centre and Mifflin Counties

The federal money stems from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. Through BEAD-funded projects by Centre WISP, Brightspeed, and Verizon, about 3,000 homes and businesses in Centre and Mifflin counties will receive new connections. Verizon is investing $40 million and receiving $28.85 million in BEAD funding to serve nearly 3,000 homes and businesses across the two counties. Other participating entities listed in the final agreements include the Central Bradford Progress Authority, Centre WISP Venture Company, Commonwealth Telephone Company (doing business as Frontier Communications), Connect Holdings (doing business as Brightspeed), CoreConnect, eCommunity Holdings, IBT Group USA, and Upward Broadband.

Governor Shapiro stated that the initiative directly addresses rural digital disparities, noting that roughly 20 percent of students in the Bald Eagle Area School District lack reliable home internet access. State initiatives implemented since 2022 have already reduced the number of households lacking high-speed internet across Pennsylvania from 330,000 down to 133,000, connecting nearly 200,000 households in the last several years.

Local Officials and Educators Highlight Infrastructure Needs

Local leaders and school staff emphasized the everyday challenges tied to broadband gaps. Board of Commissioners Chair Mark Higgins noted that a 2021 study revealed more than 8,000 local addresses lacked reliable service, prompting prior county-level projects in Penns and Brush valleys and the Mountaintop area.

Reliable internet means kids and young people can do their homework, and parents can see their doctors, and small businesses can compete statewide, nationally and internationally.

Mark Higgins, Board of Commissioners Chair

Greg Scott, president and CEO of the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County, said that broadband is essential infrastructure that dictates where businesses locate and how rural entrepreneurs compete. Katie Kingera, a Bald Eagle Area High School counselor, added that students frequently resort to using cell phone hotspots or rushing to finish assignments during study halls due to unstable home connections.

Timeline and Tracking Tools for Completion by 2030

To monitor the rollout, the Shapiro administration launched pa.gov/connectpa, a website featuring a map where residents can check when the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority expects their area to receive service. Governor Shapiro stated that BEAD funding will help connect the remaining locations by 2030. Grant projects require a minimum 25 percent matching share of total project costs, with no set minimum or maximum grant limits.

Unresolved Gaps and Unanswered Timelines for Remaining Households

While the current round of $448 million in grants targets 41 projects across 50 counties, state officials have not yet detailed the precise construction schedules or activation dates for every individual neighborhood within the 133,000 remaining unconnected households across Pennsylvania. Specific contractor build-out timelines for the thousands of addresses outside Centre and Mifflin counties remain to be finalized as local providers execute their individual grant agreements.